Beyoncé offers $ 20,000 scholarship to the jewelry industry in Montgomery

MONTGOMERY, Alabama (WSFA) – A native of Montgomery has been selected by Beyoncé for a scholarship in the jewelry industry.

Audriana Osborne, of Montgomery, was one of three recent recipients of the Beyoncé Knowles-Carter x Lorraine Schwartz GIA scholarship of $ 20,000.

“I am so full of gratitude. I am honored and thrilled with this opportunity, ”Osborne said in a video announcing the three winners.

“I was impressed with their passion and the knowledge of gemstones that so many applicants displayed,” added Beyonce, who selected each of the scholarship recipients. “I pray that this is just the start of opening more doors to diversity and raw inspiration in the jewelry industry.”

Through the scholarship, Osborne will be able to pay for tuition, fees, equipment, travel and other expenses for lab courses on campus, according to the Gemological Institute of America.

According to the GIA, jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz has teamed up with mega-star singer to create the scholarship, which goes to three members of the black community for a full tuition fee to earn the GIA graduate gemologist degree through distance education.

“His work for the black community is limitless and his efforts have inspired and made me extremely proud to be his friend and partner in this initiative,” Schwartz said of Beyoncé.

Osborne said she hopes to use the knowledge she now has and her current career with a career in the jewelry industry, and according to GIA, the scholarship will help her achieve her ambitions.

“The hope for me is to learn absolutely everything I can and to merge the knowledge I have now and the career I have now with a career in the jewelry industry,” he said. she adds. “To have this space to blend that creativity and use the power of law to merge that into a truly religious, new, innovative and forward-thinking career.”

Osborne also said she was hopeful the opportunity would help the next person get in.

“And, more importantly, being able to go back and show that we’re in this area and help the next person to come in and be able to be blessed with an opportunity like I have been today; to be able to get into this industry and still move forward and carry the torch, ”Osborne added.

Shelton Bradford of Lake Forest, Calif., And Kulla Jatani of Seattle were also named scholarship recipients.

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